Joshua's Conquest.
Joshua.
The Facts of History Recorded. The history recorded in this period
follows closely upon and completes the story of the deliverance begun
in the Exodus. But for the sin of Israel in believing the evil spies
and turning back into the wilderness, none of the events of the last
twenty-one chapters of Numbers and none of those found in Deuteronomy
would have occurred and Joshua would have followed Exodus and have
completed the story of Israel's deliverance out of Egypt into Canaan.
As it is, this history follows close upon that of Deuteronomy. Joshua,
who had been duly chosen and set apart for the work, took command of
the hosts as soon as Moses died. He was trained in the school of Moses
and exhibited the same devotion to Jehovah and the same dependence
upon His guidance.
The Story Naturally Falls Into Three Parts. (1) The conquest of
Canaan, (Chs. 1-12). In this section we have the story of the crossing
of the Jordan, fall of Jericho and the conquest of the land both south
and north. (2) The division of the territory of Canaan (Chs. 13-22).
In this section we have the assignment of the territory of Canaan, the
cities of Refuge, the cities of Levites and the return of the two and
half tribes to the east of the Jordan. (3) Joshua's last counsel and
death (Chs. 23-24), in which we have his exhortations to fidelity and
farewell address and death.
While the war itself probably did not continue but seven years, the
entire period was not less than twenty-five and may have been as much
as fifty-one years. The period marks a new era in Biblical history.
Instead of the experiences of Nomadic or semi-Nomadic tribes, a people
with a fixed abode and with a growing body of customs and institutions
is described.
The Land of Canaan. It is well to consider at least three things
concerning this little, yet wonderful country. (1) _Its geography_. It
is about four hundred miles long and from seventy-five to one hundred
miles wide and is made up of plains, valleys, plateaus, gorges and
mountains fashioned together in wonderful variety. There are many
small bodies of land capable of supporting a group of people and yet
so secluded as to allow them to develop their own individuality and
become independent. Every traveler between Egypt and Babylonia must
pass through Palestine which thereby became the bridge for the
civilization and commerce of tie world. Here the Hebrew could easily
keep in touch with the world events of his day. Later it became the
gateway of travel from east to west. The territory naturally falls
into three divisions: (a) Judah or Judea which is in the southern
portion and about seventy-five miles long, (b) Ephraim or Samaria
occupying the center of the country, (c) Galilee occupying the
northern portion. Along the entire coast line there is a continuous
coast plain. There are many mountains, the most important being
Hermon, Carmel and Gerizim.
(2) _Its inhabitants and the nations surrounding it_. That the
population was very dense is indicated by the mention of about three
hundred cities and towns a large number of which have been identified.
While there were many war-like people crowded into Palestine, seven,
the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the
Jebusites, the Amorites and the Canaanites, were the most important.
The Canaanites, who had been there about six centuries, and the
Amorites, who had lived there about ten centuries, were the two
peoples that furnished greatest resistance to Israel's occupancy of
the country. They were virtually one people.
Around Palestine were many kingdoms, some large and strong, some small
and weak. Among the more important were the Philistines, west of
Judah, the Phoenician kingdoms on the north, Arameans or Syrians on
the northeast, and on the east and southeast, the Ammonites, Moabites
and Edomites, the last three being kinsmen of the Hebrews.
(3) _Conditions favorable to its conquest_. Several circumstances
conspired to make it a suitable time for the Hebrews to enter Canaan:
(a) Egypt had crushed the Hittites and devastated their land; (b)
Northern hordes from and through Syria had broken the power of Egypt
and the Hittites and had also crushed the Canaanites; (c) Assyria had
increased her borders to the coasts of Phoenicia and was feared by all
other peoples; (d) Babylonia was not strong enough to displace Assyria
as an Asiatic power but strong enough to dispute her supremacy; (e)
For two hundred years, therefore, their weakness together with that of
Egypt and the Hittites gave the Hebrews ample time to develop and grow
strong.
The Crossing of the Jordan and the Fall of Jericho. To the Hebrews
these two incidents have always been of first importance. As the two
great events through which they gained entrance to their permanent
home, they have been given a place in Hebrew literature almost equal
to that of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. The divine share
in these great accomplishments was fully recognized. He it was who
caused the waters of Jordan to separate and He it was who threw down
the walls of Jericho. Not only did Jericho occupy a strategic
position, being somewhat apart from other Canaanite cities, but the
marvelous manner of its fall both encouraged the Hebrews to expect
complete victory and also caused the Canaanites to fear them and
expect defeat.
The Complete Conquest of Canaan. The conquest was a sort of whirlwind
campaign that crushed the active and dangerous opposition of the
Canaanites, the complete occupancy being accomplished by a piecemeal
process of subduing one after another of the little cities and
independent tribes. The campaign was well planned. The Jordan was
crossed, Jericho was taken and then by pushing forward for the heart
of the land, Ai was overcome and in a short time Joshua was in the
center of the land, ready to strike either way. With his central camp
established at Gilgal (5:10; 9:6) and the forces of Canaan divided,
Joshua could advance by two lines of invasion. Whether he made
simultaneous campaigns in different directions is not certain, but he
seems first to have turned his attention to the southern territory and
then to have completed his conquest by an invasion of the northern
districts. After bending before this storm the Canaanites still held
possession of the land and the piecemeal process of subjugation began.
It was not all accomplished by the sword but aided by the peaceful
measures of inter-marriage and treaties with friendly neighbors.
Israel contended against a far superior civilization but finally won
because the religious as well as the civil and social life was
involved.
The Cruelty to the Canannites. Stress has commonly been laid on the
cruelty to the Canaanites and upon their being driven out of their
land when it should have been put upon their character where the
Scripture puts it. This is a waste of false sympathy. The Scripture
always speaks of the driving out of the Canaanites as a punishment for
their sins (Dt, 9:4-5; Lev. 18:24-25). Some of the abominations which
they practiced are described in Lev. 18:21-30 and Dt. 12:30-32. These
abominations were practiced in the name of religion and were so
shocking that one shudders to read the description.
Everything evil was worshiped. The chief god was Baal, the sun, who
was worshiped at different places under different names, but
everywhere his worship was fierce and cruel. His consort Ashtaroth,
the Babylonian goddess Istar, the goddess of love, worshiped as the
morning star, Venus, fostered in her worship abominations that are
almost inconceivable in our times. It was a worship of impurity and
could not be cured by ordinary means. God had borne with it for
hundreds of years. Their destruction was therefore justifiable just as
was that of the old world and the Jews were simply God's instruments
just as were the waters of the flood or the fire and brimstone in the
case of Sodom and Gomorrah.
God was planning to begin, a new nation, to start a new civilization
and by using this method of punishment for the Canaanites he impressed
the Hebrews in a most striking way with the consequences of forsaking
worship of the true God. It was a new thing in the world to have all
idolatrous symbols destroyed and to worship an unseen God and yet
Joshua constantly represented to them that all the evils they had
inflicted upon the Canaanites, and greater evils, would be sent upon
them if they should become idolaters. Little, therefore, need be said
of the cruelty of the Hebrews nor of the suffering of the Canaanites.
The Hebrews were the instrument of God and the Canaanites were reaping
what they had sown.
The Significance of the War Against the Canannites. Of all the wars
recorded in human history this was one of the greatest, if not the
greatest of all. None was ever fought for a more noble purpose and
none has accomplished greater ends. The fate of the world was in the
balance. Old civilizations on account of their wickedness, were to
soon fall and this series of conflicts was to decide whether a new
civilization with a pure and holy purpose to serve God could arise in
their midst. It was, therefore, a war (1) _For purification_. The
individual, the temple and the home must all be pure. (2) _For civil
liberty_. Israel was now, under God, to govern herself and thereby to
give the world a pattern of government as God's free nation. (3) _For
religious liberty_. Idolatry, vice and superstition were everywhere
and the people must be free to worship the one true God and Creator of
all. (4) _For the whole world_. Israel was to be a blessing to all
nations. Out of her and out of this land was to come Christ, her son,
who should save the nations. The war was, therefore, for us as well as
for them.
The Character and Work of Joshua. The name Joshua in the Old Testament
is equivalent to Jesus in the New (Heb. 4:8). His character and work
were well adapted to his age and he therefore made a deep impression
upon this formative period of Israel's history. He was fully prepared
for the work of the conquest by his association with Moses and by such
events as the defeat of Amalek which he accomplished by divine help
(Ex. 17:10-16). With all he had been called of God and set apart for
the work of subjugating the Canaanites. As a soldier and commander, he
ranks among the first of the world. He is resourceful, brave,
straightforward, fertile in strategy, and quick to strike (1:10-11;
2:1 etc.). In the councils of peace he was wise and generous. He
displayed statesmanship of the highest order in mapping out the
boundaries of the tribes and thus preparing the land for a permanent
occupancy of the Hebrews. In the matter of religion he was actuated by
a spirit of implicit obedience to God's authority. He combined in his
nature both courage and gentleness and exhibited in his dealings the
disposition of both the lion and the lamb. His dying charge is full of
earnestness and devotion. As a type of Christ he led the people to the
"rest" of Canaan, though not to the rest of the gospel which
"remaineth to the people of God." A void still remained and they still
had to look forward. He led them to victory over their enemies and
became their advocate when they sinned and met defeat.
Lessons of the Period. Among many lessons suggested by this book the
following should be considered and the student asked to suggest
others. (1) God is at war with sin: (a) He thrusts out the Canaanites
because of their sins; (b) He allows the defeat of Israel at Ai
because sin was among them; (c) He allows Achan put to death because
of it. He is, therefore, against all sin, personal, social and civic
or national. (2) Religious victory and entrance upon spiritual rest is
accomplished through a leader or commander and through a divine power,
not through a law giver and by the works of the law. It was not Moses,
the lawgiver, through whom they entered and not by their own strength.
(3) God keeps his covenants in spite of all the weakness of man. (4)
God decides the issues of battles and of wars with a view to the final
on-going of his kingdom. Only God and not the relative strength or
preparedness of the contending armies can forecast the final issues of
war. (5) The fact that God is for one does not preclude the use of
strategy and discretionary methods. (6) The failure or sin of one man
may defeat a whole cause and that in spite of the faithful efforts of
many others. (7) What is a just severity to some is often a great
mercy to others. The destruction of the Canaanites was a severe
penalty for their sins, but it was an unspeakable blessing to all the
future ages because by it a true faith and a pure worship was
preserved.
For Study and Discussion. (1) Each of the lessons suggested above.
Find a basis either in incident or teaching for each. (2) The
geography of the country with the principal cities mentioned. (3) The
several tribes of people mentioned in the narrative. (4) The
providential conditions favorable to the conquest just at that time.
(5) The cruelties of the Israelites to their enemies. Select examples
and discuss each. (6) The significance of the war. (7) The character
and work of Joshua. Point out incidents or acts that show elements of
greatness and weakness in his character; also estimate the value of
his work. (8) The cooperation of the two and a half tribes in these
wars. (9) The several battles described. List them and decide what
contributed to the success or failure of Israel in each case. (10) The
story of the fall of Jericho. (11) The sin of Achan, its results, its
discovery and punishment. (12) The story of the Gibeonites, their
stratagem, its embarrassment to Joshua and consequent slavery to them.
(13) The portion of land allotted to each tribe and how it was
secured. (14) The miraculous element running through the narrative.
List and discuss each incident that tends to show or makes claim of
such miraculous element. (15) The place of prayer and worship in the
hook. Give incidents. (16) The element that is figurative or
illustrative of truth revealed in New Testament times.